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meach

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Everything posted by meach

  1. meach
    Yea, I thought it was open but wan't sure, hadn't seen any articles about it and I haven't been that way over the winter. I too think Cherohala is a nicer ride overall, we mainly use 441 as a way to get to different parts of the Smokies from here in GA when we don't want to go up thru Knox/Maryville/, etc. Have some land in Walland so can usually take 441 over to Sugarlands (rarely go on into Gatlinburg) and cut thru park to Walland. Can be slow if traffic bad but if on a bike just out for the ride anyway and not in a hurry.
  2. meach
    So they have started work going night and day, looks like it will be finished by early summer. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/feb/27/fixing-a-hole-crews-ready-to-work-round-the-at/
  3. meach
    If TN did do away with law it might be worth a trip up to Deals Gap just to watch and see what happens since Deals Gap MC Resort is in NC but go 1/4 mile or so toward where all the curves are and you're in TN. Haven't been up there in a while to recall if there is a marker/sign/etc. at the state line. Like you say would be some easy pickens to have a NC LEO sitting in the parking lot at Deals Gap. Over the years don't recall seeing any NC LEO, usually its TN state or county LEO's sitting along the TN road. I was stationed at Eglin AFB in FL back in the 70's, had a Yammy DT250 I took everywhere but I don't recall If I wore a helmet or not. We'd haul several bikes in a trailer with a cooler of beer and spend all day out on the military reservation riding the back road/trails/etc. having a blast Al, the guy I bought my RSV from in Jacksonville said MC are not required to have Insurance, here in GA its required just as a car is. FL does have that over 21 and at least 10K? I believe in insurance to ride without helmet.
  4. meach
    Another map along with the history of helmet laws (guess I could have looked before posting question). http://www.iihs.org/laws/mapmotorcyclehelmets.aspx Having lived most of my life in TN & GA have always been used to helmets. Now I wonder about laws on other protective gear...hmmm
  5. meach
    Was reading where TN was considering doing away with helmet law for drivers over 21, article mentioned only 19 states require helmet for everyone, 28 for younger drivers only. While visiting Idaho several years ago in a cage I thought it was humorous that I noticed Oregon & Idaho had different laws (don't recall which required), every time you crossed the Snake river which was the state line you had to put on or could take off helmet. As I've ridden from state to state I watch other riders to see if they have helmet on or off. Personally I would never ride without one but each to their own. If TN does do away with them I wonder how many will ride the Dragon helmet less?
  6. meach
    That looks like fun. How wet did you get from water/slush coming off road. I don't mind being cold and I don't mind being wet but I hate being cold AND wet. The one time in recent years I rode in snow just a short distance I was half soaked by time I got home.
  7. meach
    Used to actually see them come and go from our bomber base when I was stationed in Thailand during Vietnam. They would land and go straight to a hanger, when they took off they would get just part of the way down the runway angle up about 45 degrees or better it looked like, be like a rocket they would be gone so fast, pretty impressive. At night would just see the glow from the afterburners for a few sec. Would be out working along the flight line and just by chance be out there to see em.
  8. meach
    Took the wife on a valentine day ride to a fairly new state park here in GA called Chattahoochee Bend (http://www.gastateparks.org/ChattahoocheeBend). Almost perfect weather for riding, stopped at a brothers house on way home for dinner and play with his new wood lathe.
  9. meach
    So I'll confess. Only one drop and one 1/2 drop. The 1/2 was parked in a shopping lot with a slight down slope. I parked and as I was walking away the bike was gently rolling off the stand, I caught it on the way down just in time to be able to stop it. Other time was stopped with wife on back turning around on a gravel side road, while turning my foot slipped on the gravel and dumped us both off, was sort of slow motion but with the extra weight I couldn't stop it from going down . Was able to put my back and use my legs to lift it up being careful to not go over the other way, yea they are top heavy but can be lifted. I'm even more careful now when moving from a stop. Meach
  10. meach
    If you ask me the BBB is a scam unto itself. Their ratings mean nothing.
  11. meach
    Maybe its a good sign for all the folks that live up in snow country but upon arrival back home from a ride on my RSV today (temp in low 70's:)) I noticed a pretty good size flock of cranes (more than 100) passing over headed north, probably riding the warm air coming up out of the gulf, perhaps a sign of an early spring. I evidently live right along their migration path of, hear/see them every fall/spring going over. Some times so many and so high that I can hear them but have to work at seeing them.
  12. meach
    Was thinkiing the same thing, will be interesting to see what they come up with and how quickly work begins. I would think it would be a priority since there is not much of an alternate route for those 6 - 7,000 cars a day to go but with all the environmental concerns being in a National Park you just never know. We normally go 441 a few times a year but rarely go into Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge anymore, just too much traffic. We turn at Sugarlands and come out the south end of park. Spent many a summer day as a kid (and took my kids later) tubing from the Sinks to the Wye, all it cost was the gas to drive up from Knoxville. Here is a couple picture of the Sinks, after all the rains of last week and a typical day, pretty amazing how much water was flowing.
  13. meach
    So it looks like the closure is going to be for some time, equal to 9,000 dump trucks loads washed away. Perhaps build a bridge where road used to be. Not sure how bad the Cherohala slide or how long it will be closed but western NC economy will take a hit with these closures, now all they need is for the I40 area to slide again and close I40 once again and the whole region will be a mess. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/20/fixing-smokies-slide-area-challenging-133-but/?partner=popular
  14. meach
    Just to clarify, the JD Sanctuary is not a museum, its an outdoor area (you can google and read/see it) along a creek/river. It's just near a city art museum. We were going thru Aspen anyway. Yea some of the sites depend on your route and if its worth it to go out of your way. We did the Pikes Peak thing since it was on our route which wasn't that much fun. We had nice weather but road construction at the time near top had traffic a mess (now paved all the way to top). Hope to take RSV with wife along sometime soon on a western road trip, probably more toward Idaho (visit family) and Montana seeing other states along the way for her sake, I've been to CO several times (used to live in KS many years ago). Out west it seems to be either feast or famine. Beautiful in/near mountains and desolate everywhere in between, nothing like riding for hours across some of the high deserts of WY with strong crosswinds and nothing but sage brush as far as the eye can see. You realize pretty quick where the Wind River got its name.
  15. meach
    It's fun planning a long trip like that. Did a big circle a few years ago on my VTX in late July thru the west and back to GA. Did most of the big tourist things. Part of our route was to hit the highest point in each state and then some other things we wanted to do/see along the way. Traffic at times was a drag due to a lot of stimulus money into road construction for example it seems most of our time it seems in Yellowstone was sitting in traffic. If you are going over Independence Pass (we ate lunch in Leadville, CO which is highest city in US on the way to IP) into Aspen a nice little break is to stop at the John Denver Sanctuary which is right in town next to a art museum where you can also park.
  16. meach
    Below is a link to article showing more pic and map. (between the Collins Creek picnic area and Webb Overlook) My son who works in Knoxville said everyone was mad because they go 441 to go to the casinos in Cherokee, NC Here is a link to an article in knoxville paper: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/17/newfound-gap-road-swept-away-more-rain-on-the/?partner=popular There is now also a slide closing the cherohala skyway. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/17/landslide-closes-cherohala-skyway-between-nc-and/
  17. meach
    Dobbins is still there although some changes over the years, and has fought off several attempts to close it (noise complaints, etc.) and/or turn it into a commercial airport to relieve Atlanta (as I understand was originally built to be a commercial airport) believe some of the outlying property was sold off, they built a new radar (looks like a giant golfball) not long ago which is used by Atlanta airport, they share runways with Lockheed -Martin (builder of F22, C130, etc so a variety of planes come and go. Just a few days ago a C-17 kept coming over the house pretty low, training I guess. Other services also have detachments at Dobbins such as Marines. Marietta as well as rest of metro Atlanta has grown a lot over the years encroaching on Dobbins. I'm a transplant myself (from TN orig), was also in Air Force back in the 70's.
  18. meach
    Here is picture of the 441 slide, about a football length slid away, will be closed for some time on the NC side. When ever the S word is mentioned around here they wipe out all the milk and bread in the stores like its the end of the world.
  19. meach
    ,,,enough is enough. So we go for 3 months or so here in GA with almost no rain (local lakes looked like Kansas farmland) now it seems it just won't stop, one storm after the next has kept it raining for days on end. At least has been warm up until tomorrow when temps are going to fall, now we're supposed to get rain/sleet/snow/freezing rain and then black ice. Couple inches of rain overnight then a dusting or so of snow (more in the mnts) as temps fall . Smokys have gotten up to 7 inches of rain or so last few days. Several county school systems in TN were closed due to high water, flooding creeks, rivers, etc. My son lives north of Knoxville on Norris Lake and it rose nearly 4 ft in one day. Several highways closed due to rock/mud slides including US 441 thru SMNP. Lets see what mother nature has coming next.
  20. meach
    I may have been a big dummy for a long time as I've been paying for mine (and I'm a vet) if I recall when I looked into perks back when I moved to GA from TN (1981) they said you had to have been inducted while living in GA to get the freebie (I wasn't as I'm from TN), now on the form is a place to check "have lived in GA 2 yrs prior to applying" for freebie so any vet as long as you've lived in GA two years gets it free. Guess I never thought to check again I guess they changed it along the way. On a side note if you haven't been up to the new Georgia National Cemetery in Canton you should check it out some time, its really nice. It's on the path of one of the rides we like to take (about 30 min from my house) its also where I'll probably be permanently parked some day.
  21. meach
    GA $20 for 5 yr (59 and older must get 5 yr) $32 for 8 yr veterans free, no old folks discount.
  22. meach
    Was just kidding about driving it to sturgis, however I think it would be a blast to load up some food and camping gear and just head out. Few years ago on a trip out west talked to a fella at a gas station headed solo to Alaska for a month or so on a dual road/offroad bike,don't recall what kind a bike it was but I never saw so much stuff tied to a bike including two spare tires. There are several National Forests within a couple hours drive would be fun to be able to hit the back roads and explore.
  23. meach
    Nice looking bike, looks like a lot of fun. Is it gonna make a trip to sturgis (under its own power) one of these days? Yep its nice living in the south where you can ride year around, it seems last few years I've ridden just as much in the winter as I have summer (don't like the heat). Wonder how the Ural will do on some hills.
  24. meach
    buying/selling/trading these sneakers are evidently a big thing with some folks, may have cost a 14 yr old his life unfortunately. Not sure I would have ever thought sneakers would be worth $2000 when probably cost a few $ to make. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/cops-explore-shoe-game-motive-teens-death/nTcM7/
  25. meach
    :rotf::rotf: Maybe I can be a guru some day: (Georgia Ural Riders Unlimited)
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